Damage Control
by M C Pehrson
Summary: Story #70 Calamities come in many sizes. Read how Spock's inquisitive granddaughter triggers a chain of events that damages relationships and reputations.


Crows. They seemed to be everywhere, flapping their great black wings, cawing raucously in Arizona's midsummer heat. With a shiver of distaste, T'Beth eyed them from her back porch as they mobbed a shade tree beyond the pool.

Waving her arms, she hollered, "Shoo! Go away!"

They ignored her. She could only hope that they would not decide to roost in her yard all season long. Not that she was superstitious, but crows made her uneasy. Her father would call her reaction "illogical", but he didn't have to clean up after them.

With a sigh, she turned and went indoors to get Louis and Rose Ellen for a quick trip to the store. Today was the Jensen girl's birthday party. Bethany had her present ready, but as usual Rose Ellen had procrastinated until the last minute. T'Beth would have to help her pick out something.

oooo

Light filtered through the lacy Ildaran curtains that hung at the windows of her parents' bedroom. It was the housekeeper's day off, and though Bethany was all alone in the house, she entered on tiptoes. The room was clean and orderly and smelled of the perfume that Mom sometimes wore.

Bethany went straight to the far corner of the wide dresser, where a hologram sat beside a beautiful red box. The youthful image of her grandmother shimmered eerily within its crystal plate. _Adrianna._ That was her name, but Bethany knew little else about the woman who had been Grandfather Spock's first wife, her mother's mother. Adrianna was mysterious, and nothing stirred Bethany's imagination more than a good mystery.

Slowly she ran her fingers over the ornate surface of the box. She had tried to open it before and discover the secrets hidden inside, but there was no visible locking mechanism. Like a good detective, she had made a study of locks and came to realize that this one was special. It was most likely a harmonic lock. They were difficult to open because they only responded to certain tones. But on more than one occasion, she had heard a tune coming from behind the bedroom door, and it was always the same song, one of Mom's favorites. Now Bethany held out a small padd and activated its speaker.

The song began. It was a very old piece called "Walk On", and the man who sang it had a rich, beautiful voice. On the final note of the song, Bethany heard a faint but promising click.

The box sprang open.

"Yes!" With a thrill of triumph, she pocketed her padd and lifted the lid on its cleverly inset hinges.

A faded blue book was inside. Carefully she took it into her hands and could smell the old paper. In an age of electronic books, paperbound volumes were no longer common. Opening the velvety cover, she saw at once that it was a handwritten diary belonging to her grandmother, Adrianna. The startling realization took her back to last summer, when she sneaked her Aunt Teresa's childhood diary from Spock and T'Naisa's room at Plum Creek. She had gotten away with that, so why couldn't she get away with this, too? Just a hurried glance at the entries and she would put it back. After all, she might never have a chance like this again.

Her excitement growing, she flipped through the neatly written passages. Halfway into the diary, a familiar name caught her eye. _Spock of Starfleet._ And there it was again…and again…linked with endearments and tender professions of love. Intrigued, she continued on, devouring the words quickly. The further she read, the more shocking it became. Adrianna was not chronicling an innocent premarital romance with Spock on Ildarani. They were torrid lovers!

She quickly turned to the final pages of the diary. The entries ended abruptly with no mention of a marriage. And now she began to wonder if they ever _had_ married. Or was her mother conceived in the midst of illicit passion?Of course, Bethany knew it had been that way in her own case. Mom had explained the irresistible Sy attraction and the moment of weakness that led to Bethany's conception. But this business between Adrianna and Spock was more than one moment of weakness. And this was _Grandfather_ …Starfleet hero…respected member of the Yanashite Community…always so cool and proper. She hadn't liked the man for years.

Then and there, Bethany decided to keep the diary until she read every last word.

oooo

Morgana Jensen lived in a small house just down the road. T'Beth was not sure why Morgana's mother had invited Bethany and Rose Ellen to her daughter's birthday celebration. They didn't attend the same school and they rarely even talked. T'Beth had no idea that Mrs. Jensen was quite envious of her. The neighbor looked upon her high profile family connections, her brilliant husband, her very comfortable income, and felt a great deal of resentment. It seemed to Mrs. Jensen that people with alien blood were always getting advantages that rightfully belonged to humans. She was sympathetic to the anti-alien CUE movement, and had only invited Bethany and Rose Ellen in the hope that they would bring Morgana expensive gifts.

As T'Beth inspected her daughters before sending them off to the party, they seemed rather subdued, but she reminded herself that they were not little children anymore. At twelve years of age, they were starting to behave a bit more like young ladies. Still, she sensed a certain uneasiness in Rose Ellen that made her wonder what the girls were up to. Standing in the front doorway, she watched them walk off, holding their presents. A huge crow cawed loudly and rose from a tree. Then there was silence.

Down the road, Bethany glanced over her shoulder and could no longer see their house. She stopped. Using her free hand, she reached into the purse hanging from her shoulder and pulled out the velvet-covered diary.

"Look," she said, "I brought it."

Rose Ellen clutched her present and took a step backward. "Bethany, no! Mom will find out. There'll be trouble… _big_ trouble."

Rose Ellen's fear was contagious. Doing her best to shake it off, Bethany insisted, "She'll never know. Do you think she goes looking in that box every day? Besides, even if she does look, she won't know I took it."

"But she might ask us."

"Maybe. But I won't admit to anything." Bethany searched Rose Ellen's pretty face. "Would you? Would you tell on me?"

Rose Ellen hung her head, and Bethany knew that she was struggling with her conscience. Hoping to influence her, she opened the diary. "Just listen to this. 'His hot Vulcan touch sweeps me away. I can't getenough of him and he knows it. Last night we…'"

Rose Ellen broke in. "No! This is wrong! I don't want to hear it!"

Bethany glared at her normally mild-natured sister, and Rose Ellen's eyes blazed like blue fire. "Okay then!" she snapped. "I won't tell you any more. I'll keep all the good parts to myself."

A cold silence settled between them as they walked the final distance to the Jensen home. The party was not much fun for Bethany. She didn't like arguing with Rose Ellen. They were more than sisters; they were best friends…and here at the Jensens she had to contend with yet another problem.

It bothered her so much that she finally broke down and whispered to Rose Ellen, "They don't like us."

Rose Ellen seemed surprised, but she had come to trust Bethany's Sy empathy. "Then why did they invite us?"

"I don't know."

When the time came for Morgana to open her presents, Bethany sensed the hostility deepen. Mrs. Jensen grew so cold and disdainful that even Rose Ellen, who was not empathic, had to agree. They were not really welcome here. If they could have read Mrs. Jensen's mind, they would have seen the woman's outrage over gifts that she considered insulting. She did not realize that, far from being the lavishly indulged children she imagined, Bethany and Rose Ellen had actually bought Morgana's gifts with credits saved from their own modest allowances.

It was a relief to the girls when it came time to leave. After thanking the Jensens, Bethany retrieved her purse from a coat rack near the front door and hurried outside with Rose Ellen. The party left her so disturbed that she went all the way home before she opened her purse and discovered that the diary was missing.

oooo

T'Beth thought Bethany looked sick. The girl emanated a queasy sense of disquiet that likely meant too much birthday cake. Even Rose Ellen seemed a bit peaked.

T'Beth sent them to bed early, and in the morning all seemed well, despite the crows flocking into her yard. This summer she had hired a new housekeeper named Hilda Ebert, a plump German widow past middle-age with neat, graying blonde hair. When she arrived, T'Beth left her children…and her crows…in Hilda's capable hands, and headed off to Starfleet for the day.

As soon as Hilda got busy, Bethany phoned Morgana and asked about the missing book. She didn't want to call it a diary, because then Morgana would know that the entries were real, rather than made up.

"Book?" Morgana said with an innocent expression. "What book? I haven't seen it around here."

Bethany believed her. During the party, Morgana had been in the same room as Bethany the whole time. In fact, all the girls had stayed together.

Then who took the diary? Thinking of cold Mrs. Jensen, she fought a growing sense of panic. What was she going to do now?

Days went by, then weeks, and still no one said anything about Adrianna's diary. Bethany began to relax. Maybe her mother never looked in the box anymore. It could be years before she found out that the diary was missing. By then, Bethany would be all grown up. She tried to picture herself—tall, slim, and golden-haired like Adrianna. It would be easy then to look at her mother and act as if she had never heard of the old book hidden in the box.

In September, school resumed. Louis skipped past kindergarten, right into first grade at St. Bernadette's. Bethany and Rose Ellen entered the seventh grade and their minds became occupied with classwork.

oooo

T'Beth and Aaron were nestled side by side on the living room sofa when the phone chimed. T'Beth sighed. With Lou in bed and the girls studying in their room, she was inclined to ignore the call.

Aaron glanced at his wrist phone and checked the caller ID. "It's your father."

T'Beth had been concerned about Spock's struggle with Bendii Syndrome. Instinctively she tensed and told Aaron, "Go ahead, take it."

"Hello," Aaron said with the video disabled.

Father's voice was noticeably taut. "Aaron, I need to speak with T'Beth. Please have her go to a phone screen."

A bit worried, T'Beth rose and did as her father asked. She settled into the phone chair, and Father's image appeared before her on the monitor. For a Vulcan, he looked so disturbed that her concern over his mental state deepened.

Forcing a smile, she said, "Hello Father, how are you?"

"Have you seen NewsNet?" he asked without preliminaries.

"Not tonight. Why?"

He responded with another question. "Whatever became of Adrianna Lemoine's diary?"

For a moment T'Beth was too stunned to speak. What did NewsNet have to do with her mother's diary? Was Spock losing ground on his medication?

"Adrianna's diary…" she stalled, beckoning to Aaron off-screen. He came over and stood beside her.

"Yes," Spock retorted. "Your mother's diary. I know it was once in your possession."

A sick feeling began to gather in the pit of her stomach. The family had held such high hopes for Doctor McCoy's treatment regimen. "Uh…" It was all she could do to force out the words. "Of course, I still have it…right here at the house. Why?"

" _You_ have it," he repeated back to her. "Are you absolutely certain of that?"

"Yes, yes, I'm certain."

Father's piercing gaze flicked to Aaron, then returned to accuse T'Beth. "Choice excerpts of that diary are airing on NewsNet. They are promising to reveal the entire text in a series of entertaining installments."

T'Beth wavered between relief and disquiet. So there was nothing seriously wrong with her father, after all, but there would be serious repercussions if NewsNet had somehow acquired a copy of her mother's journal.

"Get it," Spock demanded. "Get it now. I want you to show me that damn diary."

Annoyed by his tone, T'Beth pushed away from the monitor and stalked into her bedroom. So he wanted the "damn" diary. Fine then, she would get the "damn" thing and wave it right under his "damn" irritable nose. The three or so minutes of the trigger song seemed to last forever. Finally, the box sprang open. As T'Beth lifted the lid, her eyes widened in horror. The box was empty!

Bethany's ears were sharp. Though "Walk On" was playing down the hallway, behind a closed door, she faintly heard it. Her heart slammed and she look up from her school padd, expecting her mother to come bursting in. Voices drifted from the living room. Mom, Dad, and Grandfather on the phone.

They knew!

She wanted to run and hide, but when no one came for her, she realized that they didn't suspect. Yet. _Calm down,_ she told herself. _No one but Rose Ellen knows I took it. No one will ever find out._ But a small inner voice continued to accuse her.

oooo

The next morning, T'Beth was still furious and didn't care who knew it. What a scandal! Now her father's wrath had descended upon her, and it was all the fault of one thieving, unprincipled person. There was no doubt in her mind about who took the diary and sold it to NewsNet. All night she had tossed and turned, picturing how she would confront the culprit. Aaron warned her to be cautious and pointed out that she had no proof, but T'Beth rejected her husband's advice. Now she scarcely noticed the crows gathering as she waited for Hilda Ebert to arrive. Punctual as always, Hilda entered the house with a deceptively cheerful smile. Then and there, T'Beth handed the conniving housekeeper her final credit statement.

Loosing her fury, she said, "Here are the wages I owe you. Tell me, why did you do it? Didn't we pay you enough? I trusted you to come into my home and care for my children, and this is how you treat me? You're worse than a thief; you're a backstabber!"

Hilda's round face blanched at the onslaught. Her blue eyes welled with tears. "But ma'am…Mrs. Pascal…vhat did I do?"

"You're fired!" T'Beth shouted at her. "Now get out of my house!"

Hilda's lips trembled as she turned and walked out the door. For a long moment T'Beth stood rooted to the spot, struggling to bring herself under control. She had forgotten the children. Turning, she found them lined up nearby, solemnly watching her.

Louis began to cry. "But Mom…I _like_ Hildy."

"So do I," Rose Ellen said under her breath.

Silent tears ran down Bethany's face. She looked saddest of all.

oooo

"So what are you going to do?" Rose Ellen asked Bethany as soon as they got to school. "Poor Hilda. You can't let her take the blame. You heard what Mom said in the car; she's going to call the police."

"Poor Hilda", Bethany mimicked. "What about _me?_ Think of what Mom would do it she found out that I took it…and that you knew the truth, but didn't say anything."

Rose Ellen looked scared.

"Yeah, you'd be in big trouble, too," Bethany told her. Desperate to keep her quiet, she added, "I bet Mom would send you right back to that orphanage on Sydok."

Rose Ellen's eyes widened. "No! She would _not._ I'm a Pascal now."

An eighth grade girl overheard the remark and came over. "Pascal," she said with a superior air. "You're the ones with the Sy and Vulcan blood, aren't you? _Hot_ blood, from what I hear." And she snickered.

"No, we aren't!" Bethany lied, but the embarrassing gossip spread through the school like wildfire, and there were other taunts.

Later that day, Bethany and Rose Ellen spent a miserable lunch hour huddled together in a corner of the dining hall. When they arrived at their next class, Sister Mary Christopher stood before the students and addressed them. In the most delicate manner possible, she spoke about the damage caused by gossip. She reminded them that their school was like a family where everyone displayed Christ's own kindness and did their best to help one another.

Bethany scrunched down in her seat. If Sister knew the whole truth about the diary, she would be lecturing her instead of the others. Besides Hilda, Bethany thought about the members of her own family who had been hurt by her actions. Mom, Rose Ellen, Louis…and most of all, Grandfather Spock. She shuddered to think of him finding out. Even at the best of times, he frightened her. It had been different when she was little, before Grandma Lauren and Aunt Teresa were murdered. But on that day, Spock changed. She vividly remembered the darkness emanating from him in the months that followed the tragedy. Though he had eventually remarried and Bethany liked his new wife, she still thought of him as distant and hostile. The half-Vulcan was so different from her loving, demonstrative Grandfather Jo-Ree on Sydok, who had died. Why couldn't Spock have died, instead?

oooo

Later that same afternoon, T'Beth stood near the police detective as he used a tricorder to lift fingerprints from the decorative box atop her dresser. It would have better if she had called the police as soon as she realized that the diary was missing, but only a couple of days had passed. Perhaps they would still find some evidence.

"Well?" she asked hopefully.

"Hm." The detective studied his readout. "There are some very clear prints, but none from Hilda Ebert."

T'Beth sighed in disappointment. "Just mine, then."

"No, ma'am, I didn't say that. Someone else has been handling it. In fact, there are more of her prints than yours."

"Whose prints?"

"Your daughter, ma'am. Bethany Pascal."

oooo

"Bethany."

Even before T'Beth spoke her name, Bethany knew that something was terribly wrong. As she sensed her mother's anger, her eyes darted to Aaron, who stood nearby, watching sadly. Her stepfather was a gentle man who tended to avoid discord of any kind. They were together in the living room, just the three of them. Now Mom turned and picked up something from the phone table behind her. Holding it in her hands, she showed the red box to Bethany.

Bethany's heart seized; somehow her mother knew. Panicking, she blurted, "Rose Ellen! She told you it was me, didn't she? Well, it's a lie. _She_ did it, not me."

Mom's hazel eyes bored into her.

Quietly Dad said, "Beth, tell the truth."

Somehow, lying to him was harder. Bethany felt her mouth start to quiver. Tears welled and ran down her cheeks. "I…I didn't mean for it to happen," she whimpered, "not like this. I only wanted to know what was in the box…and when I saw the diary…"

"You took it," Mom said. "You read it."

Bethany nodded.

"Then what did you do with it?" Mom demanded.

"It…it was in my purse when I went to Morgana Jensen's party…but…but when I got home, it was gone."

Mom looked at Dad. "The Jensens," she said. Her pitiless eyes turned back to Bethany. "You stood there and watched me accuse Hilda. You stood there and did nothing while I fired her."

Bethany could not deny it. Inwardly cringing, she awaited the full force of her mother's anger.

Mom's voice rose. "Do you have any idea of the trouble you've caused?" She did not wait for an answer. "I know you don't like your grandfather, but did you have to do _this?_ Did you?"

The words stabbed at Bethany, all the more because they were true. "I _do_ like him," she lied. "It was an accident…"

"You stole the diary by accident? Do you want to tell Spock that?"

"I didn't steal it. I _borrowed_ it and I was going to put it back, honest."

"Honest?" Mom looked at her with disgust. "Get out of here."

Sobbing, Bethany ran down the hallway to her room, and ignoring Rose Ellen, threw herself face-down on her bed.

T'Beth's mind raced as she sank onto the sofa and drew a deep, shuddering breath. She remembered hearing that Mr. Jensen worked over at NewsNet. In August, he had received a promotion and the family moved from their house quite suddenly.

Aaron sat beside her and placed a hand on her arm.

With an ache of regret, she said, "Poor Hilda. I was so certain it was her."

To his credit, Aaron did not say _I told you so._ He silently waited for her to sort through her emotions. She could hear Bethany crying, but felt no sympathy for the deceitful child.

"Why don't you go to her?" Aaron urged, and she knew that he meant Bethany. "She's such a sensitive girl. Let her know that everything will be alright."

T'Beth looked at him in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding! I feel like smacking her!"

Aaron's brown eyes were earnest. "T'Beth, we should try and put this into perspective. Bethany was curious about the box. She found her grandmother's diary inside and couldn't resist reading it." He paused, and though T'Beth still felt angry, she was willing to listen. "You once told me about another little girl who found the very same diary. That girl kept it for herself, too. She kept it hidden for years."

T'Beth was that girl. "It was practically all I had of my mother," she said in defense, "and it talked about my father, too."

"Bethany never knew her Grandmother Adrianna. Like you, she was curious."

"She sneaked into our room and figured out the harmonic lock. She stood there watching while I took it out on Hilda, and just now she tried to blame it all on Rose Ellen. She needs to be punished."

"Punished, yes," Aaron agreed, "but she isn't responsible for everything that's happened. _She_ didn't hand the diary over to NewsNet. I'd say that she's already suffered a great deal from all of this."

With a pang, T'Beth realized that her husband was right. Thinking back to her own stormy childhood, she remembered exactly how she had felt when her misdeeds caught up with her. At those terrible moments, only one thing had mattered—the very same thing that mattered most to her now. The love and acceptance of those dear to her.

Bethany was sure that her life would never be the same again. With an aching heart she huddled on her bed and told Rose Ellen, "Mom doesn't love me anymore. She only loves _him."_

Rose Ellen hovered over her solicitously. "Don't cry. She does _so_ love you…I know she does."

Bethany refused to be comforted. "There's only one person she really cares about." And she spoke the name venomously. _"Spock!"_

"That's not true," Rose Ellen insisted. "If all she cares about is Spock, she wouldn't have adopted me. And she loves Dad and Lou, too. I can tell."

Bethany glowered. "Then she loves everyone but me. She thinks I did all this deliberately. She thinks I wanted it to happen."

Rose Ellen was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke in an unusually decisive tone. "Listen. Earlier today, I heard them talking. Grandfather is over in Phoenix with Simon and Dane, doing something called 'damage control' at the NewsNet Headquarters. I bet if you go to him…to Grandfather…"

Bethany abruptly sat upright. "No way! He doesn't like me and I don't like him. Do you know what he'd do? He'd beat me…beat me until I bleed. That's what Vulcans do to children; I read it at a CUE site, on the net."

"Clean Up Earth propaganda! Why are you paying attention to those anti-alien bigots? Spock's had some health issues lately, but he's not going to hurt you. Just explain to him how it happened, that it was an accident and not Mom's fault. Then Mom will be glad, won't she?"

Bethany wiped at her eyes and actually began to consider it. But the thought of standing up to Spock all by herself…

Rose Ellen smiled bravely. "I'll go along, Bethany. He wouldn't dare hit you, then."

Out in the living room, T'Beth wondered if the tension between her and her father had caused her to overreact. Aaron was right. Bethany had behaved foolishly, but without any malicious intent. Kissing Aaron's bearded cheek, she rose and went down the hallway, picturing a tender reconciliation with her daughter. Later she would mete out a reasonable punishment and they would try to put the whole miserable mess behind them.

Stopping at the girls' bedroom, she tapped on the door. Louis came up beside her and said, "Mom, no one's in there. I saw them outside, through my window. I think they went out to feed the crows. Rose Ellen always feeds them when you're not paying attention."

T'Beth looked down at her young son. "Rose Ellen feeds the crows?"

"Uh-huh. She crumbles up bread for them."

With a fresh twinge of annoyance, T'Beth opened the door. The room was indeed empty, and curtains stirred at an open window. Together with Louis, she walked over and looked into the yard. A single crow peered at her from the ground, but there was no sign of her daughters.

"Where did they go?" Louis asked.

T'Beth remembered her last words to Bethany and felt a bitter stab of remorse. _Get out of here._ How harsh it seemed, how cold and uncaring. Now Bethany was "out of here", and so was Rose Ellen.

Her heart pounding, she turned and cried out, "Aaron!"

oooo

It was late afternoon and blazing hot when Bethany and Rose Ellen arrived in Phoenix and stepped from the airbus. Rooted to the spot, Bethany stared at the Yanashite temple grounds with its sturdy buildings and graceful palm trees. They had used most of their combined credits on transportation from Scottsdale. Now there was no turning back. Frightened, Bethany let Rose Ellen take her by the hand and lead her down nearby Eleventh Street to the pleasant little house where Dane's white cat was sleeping in a front window.

Rose Ellen pressed the door chime. Before Bethany could change her mind, the door opened, revealing a slender man with pointed ears. It was Grandfather himself, and one slanted brow rose as he studied them.

"Well," he said with his typical dry delivery, "this is most unexpected."

Rose Ellen cleared her throat and spoke up. "Grandfather, we…we have something to tell you. Something very important." Her elbow nudged Bethany. "Don't we, Beth?"

Somehow, Bethany nodded. Grandfather's piercing brown eyes locked onto her and she could barely hold back the tears.

He glanced beyond them, into the street, and noting that they were on their own, said, "Please, come in. Have a seat."

Bethany's heart slammed as she stepped inside where it was cooler. Sunshine streamed through the thin curtains in the living room. She sank onto the flowered sofa and Rose Ellen settled close beside her. She had hoped that Simon or Dane would be home, but there was no sign of her uncle and aunt.

Grandfather sat in a chair across from them. Offering the faintest of smiles, he said, "Now then, girls. Something of importance?"

Bethany took a deep breath and choked out, "Mom and Dad don't know we're here…but I have to tell you about…about the NewsNet diary. I found it in their room. I just wanted to read about my grandmother…but…but then a neighbor took it." She blushed to think of the steamy romance in its pages. Grandfather and Adrianna…both of them young…and so many years later, Spock still looked much younger than humans his age. Swallowing hard, she looked him in the face. "Please don't blame Mom. It wasn't her fault. She had it locked up, but I…"

Both Vulcan brows quirked upward and for a moment he sat unmoving. Then reaching into a coat pocket, he drew out a faded blue book.

Bethany stared at the diary in disbelief. " _You_ have it! But how?"

Grandfather gave no reply. Addressing Rose Ellen, he said, "I need to speak with Bethany in private. Please go into your Uncle Simon's study, close the door, and remain there until I come for you. Call your mother and let her know where you are and that I will take you home shortly."

Bethany cast her a desperate glance. They were supposed to stay together, but with a sinking heart she watched her sister obediently leave the room. To her increasing dismay, Spock rose and took Rose Ellen's place on the sofa. Bethany could not bear to look at him so close beside her. Would he beat her now? Trembling with dread, she began to cry.

But he made no move against her. Instead, he spoke quite gently. "Bethany, you need not be afraid."

She was an empath, but the onslaught of her own emotions was blinding her. She was so certain of his dislike. "You must really hate me," she cried. "You've hated me for years."

"Hate you?" he repeated. There was a period of silence, and then a shockingly warm Vulcan hand settled over hers. "Feel this," he insisted, calling upon her Sy ability. "You know that I am a touch telepath and that I can shield my emotions, but I am not shielding them from you now."

She did not like him touching her, but she was afraid to pull away. Then something strange began to happen. She seemed to feel him gently reaching _inside_ her _…_ and somehow, it felt good. Astonished, she stared at his hand and began to revel in the rush of warm, honest feelings… _his_ feelings.

After a long moment, she found enough nerve to peek at him. His eyes encouraged her. His lips curved into the beginnings of a conspiratorial smile. Sniffling, she wiped at her tears and dared to smile back in just the same way. The fear was gone. And she actually she found herself wishing that she could climb onto his lap like she sometimes did when she was small, before the bad times came between them.

Spock withdrew his hand, then sat back and quietly talked about the contents of the diary and the reason why the entries ended so abruptly. He explained how Adrianna's sudden illness had prevented him from marrying her, as they had planned. He told her why Adrianna's mother had laid claim to their unborn child, T'Beth. He spoke of the pain that inevitably comes to adults and to children from ignoring moral laws set in place for their spiritual welfare. It was a humbling lesson in family history.

Finally he said, "Your parents are expecting you at home."

With a sigh, Bethany thought of her mother. Since she and Rose Ellen had left without permission, T'Beth would be rightfully angry. But for the first time in a long while she felt as if Grandfather was on her side.

oooo

T'Beth could scarcely believe her eyes. She knew how Bethany felt about Spock, and just now Spock's emotional control could be erratic. She had fully expected him to bring Bethany home by the scruff of her neck and issue some stern complaint. Yet here in the living room stood the two of them, holding hands!And there was Rose Ellen on Spock's other side, her hand also snugly in his.

T'Beth studied their young, guilty faces before meeting her father's gaze. With an impassive expression…his best Vulcan face…he extracted himself from their grips. Reaching into a pocket, he passed something to Bethany.

"What's that?" asked Louis, standing beside Aaron. "It looks old."

Bethany walked over to T'Beth and held out the faded blue book. "Mom," she said contritely, "I'm sorry I took off. I went to tell Grandfather it was my fault, not yours. I didn't mean to make trouble between you. I know how you feel about him..." Her voice trailed off and her head bowed.

Rose Ellen spoke up. "Mom, she thought you didn't love her anymore. But you _do_ love her, don't you? Leaving the house was all my idea. We didn't mean to worry you and Dad; I just wanted to help her fix things."

T'Beth swallowed against a giant lump in her throat.

Spock said, "I convinced NewsNet to return the diary and issue an apology rather than face charges of receiving stolen property and a civil lawsuit for damages."

T'Beth took the diary and set it aside. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she embraced Bethany and called Rose Ellen over for a heartfelt, three-way hug. Then she sent the girls off to set the table.

As they disappeared into the kitchen, she faced her father and asked, "Won't you join us for dinner?" How stilted and inadequate it sounded. At the risk of embarrassing him in front of Aaron, she went over and put her arms around him. Though he returned the embrace in his typically reserved manner, the Sy part of her basked in his deep affection.

oooo

There was an aroma of pot roast and potato pancakes as Hilda Ebert opened her door and warily allowed T'Beth inside the neat little house that she shared with her sister, Bella. T'Beth knew from her brief association with Hilda that she was a wonderful cook, but more to the point, a wonderful person—kind, considerate, reliable, and honest. In light of all that, T'Beth felt deeply ashamed of the way she had treated the woman. Hilda had every right to be angry, yet there was no sign of rancor on her worried round face.

"Mrs. Pascal," she said breathlessly, "you're not going to take me into court, are you? Over da diary?" Like everyone else, she had heard the news and reached her own conclusions. "I svear to you, I never set eyes on it…and if you zue me…vell, this home is all I have, and half of it belongs to Bella. I shudder to tink…"

"No," T'Beth cut in. Time to eat crow, and it was already making a bad taste in her mouth. No wonder she disliked the black, cawing creatures. "Hilda, I'm not suing you. You didn't take it, I know that now. Bethany did. From there, it fell into the wrong hands." She felt herself blushing. "I'm here to apologize. Those things I said…well, I lost my temper. And to think that I specialize in diplomacy at Starfleet…"

The lines on Hilda's forehead smoothed a bit as she broke into a smile. "Oh ma'am, I feel zo much better. To be accused of shtealing! But no vonder you vere upset, mit all dat uproar in the news. Poor dear. Fame can be a cross, can't it?"

"Infamy is more like it," T'Beth said with a sigh.

Hilda brought her into a charming little kitchen and introduced Bella, who was as slender as Hilda was plump. The three of them gathered around a table for coffee and moist slices of apple streusel cake. As they visited, Hilda continued in the role of comforter. Having been motherless from birth, it was one of the qualities that T'Beth most liked about the dear woman.

Swallowing the last of her pride, T'Beth said, "You're the best housekeeper we ever had, and the children all love you. I don't expect you'd want to come back, not after the way I acted, but…won't you please consider it?"

Hilda reached for T'Beth's hand, and her touch brought a kindly sense of concern. "Ja, if you need me, dear, of course. I'll happily be dere…first ting, tomorrow morning." She picked up the little pot of coffee from the table. "Here, vant some more? And streusel? It's an old family recipe."

No more was said about the unfortunate incident, but Hilda found that, for a time, her duties at the Pascal house were made lighter by all the extra housework performed by young Bethany and Rose Ellen. And now that Rose Ellen was no longer feeding the crows, they flew off and began to roost elsewhere.

oooOOooo

14


End file.
